Land of opportunity…
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon’s-sand-trade-looting-truckload
This means that the sand will not be dropped back into the sea as is usually the case. And if the sand is not returned to the sea, then the obvious conclusion is that it is going to be sold... and for an exorbitant sum.
It is well-known that the price of sea sand is high under normal circumstances due to its high quality, so it is worth considering its price if the sand is being sold at a time when sand quarries in Mayrouba and Qortuba have in effect stopped producing.
Suspicion about the presence of some sort of “deal” is legitimate in this case. But that is not the most important aspect of the problem. What is more pressing is the environmental damage that such an extraction could inflict on the Lebanese marine ecosystem.